Sonya Curry
Born
Sonya Alicia Adams

(1966-05-30) May 30, 1966 (age 57)
Radford, Virginia, U.S.
OccupationEducator
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1988; sep. 2020)​
Children3 (incl. Stephen and Seth)
RelativesAyesha Curry (daughter-in-law)
Damion Lee (son-in-law)

Sonya Alicia Curry (née Adams; born May 30, 1966[1]) is the mother of the American basketball players Stephen Curry and Seth Curry.

Early life

Sonya Alicia Adams was born in Radford, Virginia to Cleive and Candy Adams. The family lived in extreme poverty and frequently had racist experiences with the Ku Klux Klan.[2] In high school, Adams participated in volleyball, track and field, and basketball. She matriculated at Virginia Tech as a student athlete, where she played volleyball, earning all-conference honors in the Metro Conference as a junior.[3] She received a degree in education.[4] According to her best friend and college roommate, the volleyball team was popular largely due to Adams.[5]

Adams met her future husband, Dell Curry, at Virginia Tech. During her official recruiting visit to the school, she was watching the men's basketball practice when they noticed each other.[3]

Career

Curry is president of the Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina, which she founded in 1995.[6][7] Her children attended the school.[7]

Personal life

Curry's elder son, Stephen, plays for the Golden State Warriors. He holds the all-time NBA record for three-pointers and has won four NBA championships with the team. Her younger son, Seth, plays for the Charlotte Hornets. Her daughter, Sydel, played volleyball at Elon University.[8] Curry has nine grandchildren.[9][10][11][12][13][14][unreliable source][15]

Starting when Stephen was in college playing with Davidson during the 2008 NCAA tournament, Curry began being a favorite shot for college basketball television producers.[citation needed] When Seth was playing college ball with Duke, her celebration of his three-point field goal against North Carolina in February 2013 had her trending on Twitter.[16] She remained popular on the Internet during the Blue Devils' run in the 2013 NCAA tournament.[5]

As she often receives camera time in the audience of Golden State games, Curry has been called NBA "royalty".[17] She has been interviewed about how she successfully raised professional athletes and how the family has dealt with their sons' success.[18][19]

On August 23, 2021, Curry and her husband, Dell, announced that they were divorcing after 33 years of marriage.[20]

References

  1. ^ Yorkey, Mike (2016). "Chapter 1: His Father's Apprentice". The Right Steph: How Stephen Curry Is Taking the NBA to a New Level--With Humility and Grace. Shiloh Run Press. ISBN 9781683221098. Retrieved May 31, 2019. She married Cleive E. Adams and had four children that included Sonya, who was born May 30, 1966.
  2. ^ Spruill, Tamryn (February 19, 2019). "Sonya Curry shares harrowing details of her experiences with racism". Warriors Wire. USA Today.
  3. ^ a b Ostler, Scott (May 28, 2017). "How 'Splash Mothers' begat the Warriors' Splash Brothers". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  4. ^ Spears, Marc J. (February 19, 2019). "Sonya Curry turns experiences with racism into lessons for her children". Andscape.
  5. ^ a b Killion, Ann (May 12, 2013). "Mom set Stephen Curry on winning path". SFGate. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  6. ^ Curry, Sonya. "A Message from the Head of the School". Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman.
  7. ^ a b Dziemianowicz, Joe (November 21, 2018). "Steph Curry's mom was strict: 'It's not my job to do everything for everybody'". Today.
  8. ^ Stein, Marc (May 15, 2019). "Sonya and Dell Curry Mastered Cheering for Their Sons. But Not at the Same Time". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Vulpo, Mike (July 4, 2018). "Ayesha and Stephen Curry Welcome Baby No. 3—Find Out the Name Of Their Son". E! Online. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Greif, Andrew (November 9, 2018). "Doc Rivers' daughter is raising another Curry and he couldn't be happier". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  11. ^ Slater, Georgia (November 19, 2021). "Seth Curry and Wife Callie Introduce Baby Cash, Share Look at His 'Functional and Cute' Nursery". People. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Yahoo! Entertainment.
  12. ^ Slater, Georgia (December 1, 2021). "Sydel-Curry Lee and Damion Lee on Keeping Spark While Trying to Conceive: 'Felt Like a Job'". People. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  13. ^ England, Adam. "Who Is Seth Curry's Wife? All About Callie Rivers". People.com. People. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  14. ^ Macasero, Michael. ""Welcome sweet baby girl!!!!": Steph Curry's wife Ayesha Curry welcomes sister-in-law Sydel Curry's daughter". sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  15. ^ Vivinetto, Gina. "Steph and Ayesha Curry are expecting baby No. 4: Meet their 3 kids". today.com. Today. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  16. ^ Mahr, Chris (March 28, 2013). "Sonya Curry: College basketball's most famous mom talks about her sons and social media". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  17. ^ "The making of the NBA's Royal Family: The Currys". NBC Sports Northwest. May 15, 2019. Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Flagler, Betsy (May 3, 2008). "Away From the Spotlight, Currys Are a Model". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Bonnell, Rick (June 21, 2015). "NBA Playoffs Became Family Project for Dell and Sonya Curry". The Oklahoman. Retrieved May 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Mizoguchi, Karen; Leonard, Elizabeth (August 23, 2021). "Stephen Curry's Parents Sonya and Dell Curry to Divorce After 33 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
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